Page "Beijing Spring" Paragraph 2

The phrase ' Beijing Spring ' was also used during a more recent period of political thaw in the PRC, September 1997 to mid November 1998.

During this ' new Beijing Spring ' the Chinese authorities relaxed some control over political expression and organisation.

The relatively trouble-free handover of Hong Kong to China, and the death of Deng Xiaoping were precursors to this brief period of liberalisation.

It was during this second ' Beijing Spring ' that the China Democracy Party was founded and legally registered by some local authorities, Democracy Wall dissident Wei Jingsheng was released and exiled, China signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and China was visited by US President Bill Clinton and UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson.

By the end of 1998 the government had again cracked down on leading dissidents and those involved in the fledgling CDP.